THE INFLUENCE OF VARYING INCLUSION LEVELS OF WHOLE GRAIN SORGHUM ON PERFORMANCE AND GUT MORPHOLOGY OF INDIGENOUS BOSCHVELD CHICKENS
G.P. MABUNDA, Z.M. HASSAN, T.G. MANYELO, N. NEMUKONDENI, O.M. LETSOALO, N.A. SEBOLA +1 more
Applied Ecology and Environmental Research
Abstract
Maize has long been the preferred ingredient in animal feeds due to its high yield, energy content, and positive impact on animal production.However, its use as the main source of energy in poultry is subjected to competition.This study aimed to explore the influence of incorporating whole grain sorghum on the performance and gut histomorphology of Boschveld chickens.The total of 112-day-old Boschveld chickens were distributed into four groups, each consisting of 28 birds per treatment., for the duration of 90 days.The sorghum concentrations were at 0% (control), 25%, 50% and 75% inclusion.The data were subjected to GLM and Duncan's multiple range test to separate the means.BWG was significantly higher (p<0.05) in chickens fed WGS diet.FI showed both linear (p=0.000) and quadratic (p=0.018